Animal Cruelty, Antisocial Behaviour, and Aggression—More Than a Link

Through comprehensive reviews of theory and research related to animal cruelty, antisocial behaviour, and aggression, Gullone clearly demonstrates that animal cruelty behaviours are another form of antisocial behaviour, that appear right alongside human aggression and violence, as well as other crimes including non-violent crimes. Almost without exception, the perpetrators of animal cruelty crimes are the same individuals who carry out a host of other antisocial crimes or misdemeanors including assault, partner and child abuse, and bullying. For those whose criminal careers begin in childhood (i.e. the early starters), without intervention, it is highly likely that their antisocial activities will continue into their adult years, in most cases increasing in severity. It is therefore time to begin treating animal cruelty crimes more seriously, to prevent further harm not only against the innocent animals who will otherwise become the victims of these individuals but also against potential human victims.

ELEONORA GULLONE is Associate Professor in Psychology at Monash University, Australia, a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society, the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, UK, and the Institute for Human-Animal Connection, University of Denver, USA. Her research areas include emotion development and regulation, antisocial behaviour and animal cruelty. She has published extensively with in excess of 100 publications.